FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The #NSU50 "Top Moments in NSU Athletics History" continues with the 36th moment on the list: The Nova Southeastern University women's golf team captures their second consecutive NCAA Division II national championship and sweeps all national awards in the process.
May 15, 2010
Expectations were high for the ladies after taking home their first national title the year prior. They did not disappoint, steamrolling through the regular season with six victories (and finishing second in the other two tournaments) and winning the Sunshine State Conference Championship by 21 strokes, with four individuals in the top five, and all five golfers in the top seven.
This earned the team the top seed in the NCAA South Regional and the Sharks won that tournament by nine strokes. They were even better at the NCAA Championships, winning by a whopping 40 strokes. Sandra Changkija, after taking home medalist honors at the SSC Tournament, won the first individual title in program history by shooting even-par over the four rounds in Mesa, Arizona.
In addition to the team and individual championships, the Sharks swept every individual award on the national and conference level: For the third straight year, Changkija was named NCAA DII National Player of the Year, was SSC Golfer of the Year, and would later earn NSU's first-ever Sunshine State Conference Athlete of the Year (male or female); head coach Kevin Marsh was selected as NSU's first-ever NCAA DII National Coach of the Year after taking home his third straight SSC Coach of the Year Award; and Abbey Gittings was selected as both NCAA Division II Freshman of the Year and SSC Freshman of the Year.
Besides those three honorees, at the DII Awards Banquet, Maria Garcia-Austt wrapped up her illustrious career with her fourth consecutive first-team All-American nod and Taylor Collins earned second-team honors for the second straight year. On the conference level, Changkija and Garcia-Austt were named First Team All-SSC while Collins was chosen to the Second Team.
"The season we just had is historic for NCAA Division II women's golf," said Marsh. "Nine team titles, including a conference and regional championship, eight individual titles, our fourth NCAA Division II National Player of the Year, our third NCAA Division II Freshman of the Year, and a team scoring average which was the lowest in Division II history. This is a season these girls and I will remember for the rest of our lives.
"Since August there have been questions on a daily basis about the chances to repeat as National Champions and for nine months these girls have responded to every challenge they faced. I have not been around a more special group of people and (then-assistant coach) Amanda (Brown) and I are honored to have the opportunity to coach them each day."
"This was a great day and a great week in NSU Athletics," added NSU Director of Athletics Michael Mominey. "Winning back-to-back national championships is a tremendous accomplishment. This is truly a credit to Kevin and assistant coach Amanda Brown who have done an outstanding job with these young ladies. They are not only two-time Champions; they are great ambassadors for the department and the University. They represent the department in a first-class way on and off the course. Their talent, chemistry, drive and determination to be the best they can is obvious once you watch them play one round of golf and spend time with them."
Check back with NSUSharks.com next Tuesday for the next #NSU50 "Top Moments in NSU Athletics History."Moment No. 1: NSU Athletics is Born
Moment No. 2: Knights Chosen as School Mascot
Moment No. 3: Hansley Hired as Director of Athletics
Moment No. 4: Nova Adds Four Sports
Moment No. 5: Nova Joins NAIA
Moment No. 6: Nova Adds Three More Teams
Moment No. 7: Nova Helps Form FIAC
Moment No. 8: Nova Wins First Conference Championship
Moment No. 9: Baseball and Volleyball Win First Conference Titles
Moment No. 10: NSU Adds Softball
Moment No. 11: NSU Adds Women's Soccer and Wins FSC Tournament Championship
Moment No. 12: NSU Names Ray Ferrero Jr. as School's Fifth President
Moment No. 13: NSU Adds Women's Basketball and Wins Conference Title in First Season
Moment No. 14: NSU Jumps to NCAA Division II and Sunshine State Conference
Moment No. 15: Kyle Ruwe Becomes NSU's First NCAA All-American
Moment No. 16: NSU adds Rowing, Tennis and Men's Cross Country
Moment No. 17: NSU Breaks Ground on University Center
Moment No. 18: Rembe Becomes NSU's First Female NCAA All-American
Moment No. 19: NSU Men's Golf Wins First SSC Championship
Moment No. 20: NSU Unveils Sharks as New Mascot
Moment No. 21: NSU Enshrines Inaugural Hall of Fame Class
Moment No. 22: Women's Golfer Garcia Austt Becomes NSU's First-Ever NCAA Player and Freshman of Year
Moment No. 23: NSU Tennis Goes Program-Best 22-3
Moment No. 24: NSU Volleyball Hosts the Inaugural Sharks Classic
Moment No. 25: NSU Begins Outdoor Track and Field Programs
Moment No. 26: NSU Volleyball Earns First-Ever NCAA Postseason BidMoment No. 28: NSU Wins Women's Division of 2007-08 SSC Mayors' Cup
Moment No. 29: Abdalla Earns Cross Country Program's First SSC Runner of the Year Award
Moment No. 30: NSU Volleyball Wins South Region and Advances to Elite Eight
Moment No. 31: NSU Launches Men's and Women's Swimming and Diving Programs
Moment No. 32: NSU Rowing V4 Claims the School's First Individual DII National Championship
Moment No. 33: NSU Brings Home First NCAA National Championship in Women's Golf
Moment No. 34: NSU Baseball Has Four Players Chosen in MLB Draft
Moment No. 35: Mominey Steps Into Full-Time Role as NSU Director of AthleticsFor the latest NSU news and results, be sure to visit www.NSUSharks.com. To have results sent directly to your cell phone via text message, sign up for SMS text message delivery by clicking here. For the latest news, be sure to sign up for the Shark Alert E-newsletter by clicking here.
